Tonight — A Carrot/Angua Vignette
by monsley
Summary: Carrot goes to Angua's on their day off and reflects about their relationship. Little songfic to the tune of "Tonight, Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Obviously C/A! Because there aren't nearly enough. Mild fluff warning.


A/N: This takes place about a year after the events in the Fifth Elephant. Which means spoilers! If you aren't afraid, on with the story. Oh, and it's kind of fluffy. :)

Disclaimer: Angua, Carrot and anything you might recognize belongs to the mighty Terry Pratchett. Bow to him. The song "Tonight, Tonight" belongs to the Smashing Pumpkins, and is one of the most beautiful love songs on earth. Eat your heart out, Backstreet Boys! :p

**Tonight — A Carrot/Angua vignette**

Carrot pushed the door open. It creaked ominously [1]. He closed it behind him and called out softly: "Angua? Are you there?"

It was half past two in the night of what technically was their day off. Technically, because Carrot usually went to Pseudopolis Yard for two or three hours on his days off, in the effort to organise Mr Vimes' mountains of paperwork or at least rescue any small creature that might have been trapped under it. Angua used to sleep in late on such days.

The little flat was absolutely dark. _Well, she must be exhausted after yesterday's chase through half the city_ The day before had been the full moon, and for some reason all the unlicensed criminals in Ankh-Morpork seemed to have chosen that night to carry on their honest perpetrating. All in all, it had been an exhausting night. It was only logical she'd take it easy on her day off.

He crossed the dollhouse-sized living room, careful not to bump into anything, and entered Angua's bedroom. He expected her to be awake— exhausted or not, her werewolf senses would've probably woken her at his entrance. That's why the sight before him caught him off guard.

[_Time is never time at all  
You can never ever leave  
Without leaving a piece of youth  
And our lives are forever changed  
We will never be the same  
The more you change, the less you feel_]

Angua laid on her bed, completely asleep. She seemed to have kicked the blankets off while she dreamt, and was holding her pillow close. A lone beacon of moonlight fell on her, making her ash-blond hair look almost white. She was wearing one of his shirts, which looked huge on her. He let go a breath he didn't know was holding. _God, she's beautiful._

Careful not to disturb her Carrot sat on the edge of the bed. Very rarely was he able to see her like this, looking so peaceful and innocent, and he wanted to enjoy the moment.

He remembered the day he'd met her. They both were barely seventeen. He'd been recently promoted to Corporal (and was so proud he'd polished his armour thin out of sheer enthusiasm) and she'd just arrived from Quirm. And for the first time in his life he'd felt like he actually fitted in. He had forgotten about his constant struggling between dwarfs and humans; he'd been just Carrot and she'd just been Angua. So many things had happened since then Four years by her side and she still surprised him.

[_Believe, believe in me  
Believe  
That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain  
We're not the same, we're different tonight  
Tonight, so bright  
Tonight_]

The previous year had been a turning point for them, though. His world had been turned upside down when he'd read the note Constable Visit handed him. Only three words had made him turn his back on his motto; _personal isn't the same as important_ Nowadays he saw that yes, it wasn't necessarily the same, but as he'd read Angua's note —_I'm sorry- Goodbye—_ he'd realised there wasn't anything more important than her. And thus he'd resigned. He'd given his badge back to the Patrician. He'd given up being a policeman to go after her.

Policeman. _Man of the city_. Carrot lived for the city. He knew that his life revolved around being a copper. His life _was_ being a copper. And yet he'd realised that, without Angua, he didn't want it. That was the reason why he'd left Ankh-Morpork and gone to Uberwald, betraying everything he'd been taught.

She'd been so shocked to see him. He didn't remember the events too clearly— he'd been too exhausted— but he did recall Angua's angry face, her scolding him. "Carrot! You idiot! Why?" He remembered her arms around him, too. "How can you be so stupid?" She'd held him tight, some of her tension easing away by his warmth, before abruptly letting go. Gavin was staring penetratingly at them.

And then Wolfgang. Carrot sighed. Contrary to Angua or Mr Vimes, he didn't hate him. He felt a strange pity towards the deceased werewolf. He was mentally unstable since birth, probably, and most importantly he'd never been _taught_ what was right or wrong. Okay, technically Angua hadn't, either, but she was well, she was Angua. The thing about Wolfgang was that he was dead. Whatever he might have done, he'd ultimately paid for it. No, he couldn't hate Wolfgang.

He looked at Angua's face. She looked younger, partly because she was peacefully asleep and partly because her eyes were shut. Angua's gaze had always been timeless, even when they were seventeen. She seemed to have seen everything, and to have been not impressed by it. She was tough— it was impossible to be a werewolf and not to be tough— but she had a strange gentleness inside, too, a wish to understand that made her special. Her relationship with Cheery was proof of it, even at the beginning, when she didn't know about Angua's condition.

He'd never seen her cry before his confrontation with Wolfgang. His memories were a bit blurred— she was very pale, he seemed to recall, and her lips were incredibly red. There was snow all around. Her tears had tasted saulty. But the moment that had changed his life had been Gavin's burial.

[_And you know you're never sure  
But you're sure you could be right  
If you held yourself up to the light  
And the embers never fade  
In your city by the lake  
the place where you were born_]

_'Carrot! I've got to know something.'_

_'Yes?'_

_'That might happen to me. Have you ever thought about that? He was my brother, after all. Being two things at the same time, and never quite being one we're not the most stable of creatures.'_

_'Gold and muck come out of the same shaft,' said Carrot._

_'That's just a dwarf saying!'_

_'It's true, though. You're not him.'_

_'Well, if it happened if it did would you do what Vimes did? Carrot? Would it be you who picked up a weapon and came after me? I know you won't lie. I've got to know. Would it be you?'_

_A little snow slid down from the trees. The wolves watched. Carrot looked up for a moment at the grey sky and then nodded._

_'Yes.'_

_She sighed. 'Promise?' she said._

_Yes, I promised_, he thought. _I promise, Angua. _They'd been different from that day on. Angua, who'd always lived as if she might leave the following day, had left behind her 'trapped animal' attitude. It was as if she'd finally found her place, and that was by his side. Just as he'd realised all those years ago.

He smiled softly and reached out to tuck one stray lock of silky blond hair behind her ear. He realized his mistake too late. He felt a slight, damp pressure on his wrist.

[_Believe, believe in me  
Believe  
In the resolute urgency of now  
And if you believe there's not a chance tonight...  
Tonight, so bright  
Tonight_]

A second later Angua was back to her human form, apologizing. "Carrot! I'm sorry— how did you— I can't believe I didn't wake up— did I hurt you?" She was sitting on the bed, rubbing her eyes with one hand and holding his wrist with the other. "Let me have a look at it"

"Angua, it's okay. You didn't bite me or anything."

"Doesn't matter look, I'm really sorry. I don't know I must've been more tired than what I thought."

"It's okay, I tell you." Carrot took off his boots and climbed on the bed, resting his back against the wall. Angua smiled softly and sat between his legs, leaning onto his embrace. She yawned.

"So, how did the expedition go?" she said, kissing his cheek.

"You mean the paperwork? Well, couldn't make any sense of it, but I did fount Constable Downspout's payment."

"The four pigeons that had gone missing?"

"Yes, apparently they'd found a good nesting place. Mr Vimes really ought to do something about that." 

"Yes, but with the baby coming I doubt he thinks about anything else." said Angua, settling into his embrace. He stroked her cheek with his left hand. "Lady Sybil is so happy, too"

Carrot shifted uneasily. "You know, Angua, I've been meaning to talk to you about that"

Angua turned to look at him. "About Lady Sybil and Mr Vimes' baby?"

"Um. No. What I wanted to say is maybe, someday would you want to?" Carrot's blush now matched his hair. He seemed to be staring at his left knee.

Angua's eyes opened wide. She looked down and let out her breath. "Oh"

"It's okay, you don't have to answer now—" Carrot said quickly, not quite succeding in hiding his disappointment.

"Carrot! Shut up! Of course I'd like to someday you just caught me by surprise." She turned completely, kneeling in front of him, and caught his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I want to have your baby. Our baby. Do you understand me? Maybe not right now, but I do want it." Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke.

[_We'll crucify the insincere tonight  
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight  
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight  
The indescribable moments of your life tonight  
The impossible is possible tonight_]

Carrot's face lit up instantly and he pulled her into an embrace. He swept her up in his arms, climbing down the bed and twirling around the room. Angua laughed out loud, holding onto his neck. He finally settled her down by the window, which he opened. The sight was impressive. The moonlit roofs of the city looked strangely magnificent, which was certainly unusual for Ankh-Morpork. Probably a trick of the light, they both thought. They stood like that for a while, Angua leaning onto Carrot, looking at their city. He rested his cheek on the golden crown of her head.

Suddenly, Angua spoke up. "Carrot have you really thought about what you just asked me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know how might the child turn up. He might be pure human, pure werewolf, half and a half doesn't this worry you?" Her voice was unsure.

He held her tighter. "No. Not at all."

She sighed deeply and reached out to caress his cheek. "I know I don't say this too often, but I love you."

He smiled. "I know. I love you too."

She turned and put her arms around him, looking into his eyes. "Do you need Gaspode to tell you what to do now?" she asked mischieviously.

Carrot chuckled. "Hm I think I might have an idea, this time" he said, before pressing his lips to hers.

[_Believe in me as I believe in you— tonight_]

[1] Mrs. Cake was very proud of her doors and their three-mode creaking: Ominously, Disturbingly and Blood-chillingly.

A/N (2): Aaw ain't that sweet and fluffy? I've really tried to keep the sap down, I swear, but they're just so lovely. Okay: why did I write this little thing, you say? Well, because I just can't believe there are almost no Carrot/Angua stories on ff.net. They're amazing characters, and their relationship is absolutely unexplored! C'mon, writers out there, let's write C/A pieces :) I fell in love with them when I read Men at Arms, and became obsessed after The Fifth Elephant the fragment I've copied up there is one of the most _beautiful_ and _sad_ passages I've ever read.

Oh, and please let me know if you find any spelling mistakes! I try my best, but I'm from Spain, so my english probably isn't 100% accurate.

And if you review you'll become my most favourite person in the world. :)

Love,  
_Meg.


End file.
